RIM announced the 4G LTE BlackBerry PlayBook earlier this month and it’s finally available from several Canadian carriers. The LTE tablet is slightly upgraded from its WiFi-only counterpart with a 1.5GHz CPU and 32GB storage option, but the main difference is the new LTE radio.
The 7-inch PlayBook is a pretty little package and the operating system is finally a contender. The tablet might have a chance if RIM was in a position to price the PlayBook competitively.
The LTE PlayBook is expensive. It’s available through Bell and Rogers for $350 with a three-year contract (lengthy contracts are normal in Canada). The 32GB LTE PlayBook is also available through TELUS without a contract for $550.
RIM is a tough situation. With its dire financial situation, RIM cannot aggressively price the 4G PlayBook. It likely cannot take a loss on the hardware sales hence the above market pricing. RIM has yet to announce the 4G PlayBook’s US price or release date.
BlackBerry (formerly Research in Motion) is a Canadian designer, manufacturer and marketer of wireless devices and solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market. The company is best known as the developer of the BlackBerry smart phone. Blackberry technology also enables a broad array of third party developers and manufacturers to enhance their products and services with wireless connectivity to data. Blackberry was founded in 1984. Based in Waterloo, Ontario, the company has offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific....
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